Have you heard of Barefoot Books? They are bright and beautifully illustrated children’s books and CDs that celebrate the joy of childhood, diversity, inclusivity and the planet we all share. I fell in love with them when my son was a baby. We were visiting The Getty and before leaving decided to take a quick peek in their shop. There, we came across Who’s in the Garden?, an inviting peek-a-book book for little ones. It soon became a favorite and over the years we’ve grown a small collection of Barefoot Books to add to his growing library. With timeless tales, delightful rhymes, and colorful illustrations, the books not only ignite curiosity and capture the imagination of a child, but they also inspire character building and help raise caring and confident little citizens of the world—exactly my sort of thing! I’m passionate and excited to share them here with you.

So it’s no surprise that I recently welcomed the opportunity to become a Barefoot Books Ambassador (a fancy way to say that I now represent their brand and sell their amazing books). If you have already had experience with Barefoot Books, I’d love to hear of it in the comment section below.

A Barefoot Book that I think is great is The Barefoot Book of Children. It’s a playful, thought-provoking and delightful family read that can spark timely discussions about diversity, inclusion and acceptance. According to Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, “It’s a colorful and hopeful celebration of childhood. It takes readers on a visual trek across the globe, where they discover that—despite our different clothes and homes and languages—we are more alike than different.”

To get a peek at Barefoot’s beautiful collection of multicultural books, visitBarefoot Books. Please note, my affiliate link is within.

Last weekend, in combination with celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I hosted an outdoor party to share and talk about Barefoot Books. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Welcome

I’m Martine. Welcome to my site about the art of living well. I'm a global public health professional who loves to travel and cook and to me, cooking is one of the most interesting ways to bring the world home. It's also a wonderful metaphor for life as it requires an open mind, patience, flexibility and humility. I enjoy developing and sharing whole-food, plant-based recipes inspired by a love and appreciation of different cultures, healthy lifestyles, and cuisines from around the world. My greatest inspiration? My little guy you see in the photo above. I aspire to raise a happy, healthy and kind "petit" citizen of the world.